Skin rash combined with head and joint pain: these are the symptoms which patients with familial (hereditary) cold urticaria develop when exposed to temperatures below 15 °C. Researchers from Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin have discovered a new, previously unknown form of this inflammatory skin disorder. In addition to explaining why conventional treatments are ineffective in some people with the disorder, their findings also point to potential alternatives. The results of this research have been published in Nature Communications*.